"Trade wars to have less direct impact on India"
How do you see the trade war playing out?
A: Dr. Ira Kalish: There is a high degree of uncertainty about it. It's not clear how far we'll go and what the specific causes will be. There's evidence that businesses in the US and Europe are putting investments, particularly in the global supply chain, on hold. What we know is that we've already had tariffs imposed and there is threat of substantial tariffs as retaliation. On top of that, there is a threat that the US might withdraw from NAFTA and the WTO. The US has done things that undermine the WTO. The dispute resolution mechanism, which adjudicates disputes between countries, is supposed to have seven members. There are only four now. By the end of the year, only one might be left. That would undercut the ability of the global trading system to function. The worst case scenario is very high tariffs and disintegrating global institutions. But it may not come to that.
How will it affect India and China?
A trade war will hurt China and I think in anticipation of that the Chinese central bank has
